Dog Bite Related Fatalities in Canada (January 1983 to June 2016)

Here is the latest updated list of all human deaths caused by dogs in Canada since 1983. As of June 20, 2016, there were 41 incidents resulting in 42 deaths.

I have chosen not to provide the original spreadsheet. Instead, I have reformatted it into an easy-to-read, web-friendly list.

Please read and understand the following few paragraphs before reading the list.

Regardless of the fact that I have included breed in the list, it is crucial to understand two things:

First, breed identification is ALWAYS suspect. Breed information may be supplied by the owners of the dog, by the victims, by animal control personnel, by police officers, by neighbours, or by members of the media. It is NEVER reliable.

Second, even if breed identifications were accurate, the breed is far less important than the circumstances.

Here’s an example:

The majority of these attacks are blamed on “huskies” or “sled dogs”. So is any dog up north that has some husky characteristics going to be called a husky? In addition, the term “sled dog” (and “farm dog” in an early incident) is a description of function, not breed, so those dogs could literally be anything that can pull a sled.

When you consider that a large number of these incidents occurred in northern communities with little or no animal control, sometimes on First Nations reserves, is it surprising that the dogs involved are northern types of dogs?

As you read through these accounts, it should become apparent that breed is not the issue. Circumstance is the key. Children not supervised. Dogs running loose or breaking loose. Dogs chained in areas where wandering children could enter. Dog/child interactions not supervised.

These things are what caused the deaths of the children in particular, not what type of dog was involved.

Summaries:

# of Attacks

41

# of Victims

42

# of Dogs

100

# of Attacks > 1 dog

23

55%

# of Attacks > 2 dogs

14

33%

# of deaths not from bites

1

2%

Victim’s Age:

0 – 2

11

26%

3 – 5

15

36%

6 – 12

10

24%

13 – 16

0

0%

17+

6

14%

Dog Location:

Home

14

34%

Relative

6

15%

Neighbour

8

20%

Loose

13

32%

Breed of Dog (# Attacks):

Husky

10.5

26%

Unknown Mix (northern dogs)

9.1

22%

German Shepherd

4.7

11%

Rottweiler

3.95

10%

Sled Dog

3

7%

AmStaff/Pit Bull

1

2%

Bullmastiff

1

2%

Chow Chow

1

2%

Labrador

1

2%

Malamute

1

2%

Maremma Sheepdog

1

2%

Mixed Breed

1

2%

Unconfirmed

1

2%

Collie

0.5

1%

Jack Russell

0.5

1%

Wolf

0.5

1%

Border Collie

0.25

1%

Breed of Dog (# Dogs):

Unknown Mix (northern dogs)

35

35%

Husky

19.5

20%

Sled Dog

10

10%

German Shepherd

9.5

10%

Rottweiler

9.5

10%

Labrador

5

5%

AmStaff/Pit Bull

2

2%

Malamute

2

2%

Border Collie

1

1%

Bullmastiff

1

1%

Chow Chow

1

1%

Maremma Sheepdog

1

1%

Mixed Breed

1

1%

Unconfirmed

1

1%

Collie

0.5

1%

Jack Russell

0.5

1%

Wolf

0.5

1%

The conclusions from the details listed below are:

A secure enclosure for all dogs loose in their yards would have prevented 30 incidents (73%).

Supervising young children (too young to be on their own), without knowing there was going to be a dog involved, would have prevented 26 incidents (63%).

Supervising a known interaction between a child and a dog would have prevented 10 incidents (24%).

Having secure enclosure for all dogs and supervising all children would have prevented 36 incidents (88%).

Jan 18 2007. Cumberland House First Nation Reserve SK. 5-year-old boy. 6 Unknown Breeds, both large and small. One report describes dogs as strays, another as owned by a neighbour who let them run loose. Death from bites and hypothermia. Child unsupervised on way to school.

Mar 22 2010. Pangnirtung NU. 4-year-old boy. 3 Huskies. Sled dogs described as huskies broke loose from chains while owner was out of town and attacked boy, Town coroner discovered dogs tearing body apart while he was driving past. He killed all three dogs. Boy was unsupervised.